Field Guide to Candy is Out! Win a Copy of Your Own!

Two years ago, one of my long-cherished goals suddenly blossomed into reality: I was offered the chance to write a cookbook. A great deal of testing, retesting, writing, and rewriting later Field Guide to Cookies emerged.

One year ago, just as the reality that I was now published was sinking in and the sight of my book in bookstores was becoming less surreal, fate came tripping round again: I was asked if I’d like to do a companion piece to my book, on candy.

Today, I’m happy to announce that my second book, Field Guide to Candy, is officially out in bookstores and available online!

Taking on candy was a truly exciting challenge for me. I had learned basic confection-making in pastry school and always wanted to keep expanding my knowledge. The plethora of renowned chocolatiers and candymakers in the Bay Area also served as constant inspiration. I’d take home a box of chocolates from Charles Chocolates or toffees from Fiona’s Sweet Shoppe and dream of reproducing them at home. Now, with the second book, I was able to turn my apartment into a miniature candy factory (sometimes a great thing, other times maybe not so much).

In Field Guide to Candy, I explore 100 candies from all around the world, from fudge to toffee to peanut butter cups to truffles. One of the reasons I think I’ve worked well with the Field Guide format is that I have a natural tendency to categorize things. It’s how I figure things out, by determining how they relate to each other and fit into the big picture. Knowing that toffee, caramels, and taffy are all variants of working with sugar, or that fondant and fudge are based on similar principles suddenly makes it easier to grasp the dizzyingly wide world of sweets.

I’ve tried to break the world of candy into bite-size categories in my book, from chocolates to sugar candies, to even a simple classics section. If you’re wondering if caramel corn, peanut butter balls, and rocky road made it onto the list, be assured these childhood favorites are there.

I’ve also included notes on the all-essential tasks of working with chocolate and working with sugar. Knowing how to work with these ingredients is integral to candy-making, and surely the root of many candy-making fears. I’ve tried to address many of the common pitfalls, and provide guidelines to make tempering chocolate or cooking sugar a snap.

Also, anyone who’s ever had a favorite candy, be it Milky Way or gummy bears or peppermint patties, likely knows there is a fabulously colorful history behind candy. From the origin of saltwater taffy, to Joseph Fry’s creation of the first chocolate bar, to why English toffee and sherbet mean different things in the UK and the US, there are plenty of fascinating stories once you pull back the sugary sweet curtain. Learning about the history behind some of the most well-loved candies was definitely a highlight of the research I did, and I hope that you’ll find the tidbits I share in the book as entertaining as I did.

Finally, in creating the photos for the book, I got a chance to work with Tucker+Hossler, a very talented SF-based team. Their experience in working on cookbooks really shone through as we blazed through a three day photoshoot. I’m really happy with the art direction for this book; as you can see, we got to do a bit more styling this time and come up with some really lovely shots. Just as with the Field Guide to Cookies, there is a photo of every candy in the book!

Most exciting, there’s going to be a party!! if you are in the Bay Area, I’d like to invite you to the book release party for Field Guide to Candy which will be

Saturday, October 17, 2009, 3-4 PM at

Omnivore Books

3885 Cesar Chavez Street

San Francisco, CA 94131

415-281-4172

Omnivore Books is like my my fondest foodie dream realized: a bookstore filled exclusively with books about food. The owner, Celia Sack, knows so much about food literature: the fabulous vintage cookbooks displayed throughout the store are from her collection. I had a great time speaking there last year about my cookie book, and I’m extremely excited to be able to celebrate the release of Field Guide to Candy there! I hope to see you October 17!

Even if you can’t make it, I’d like to thank all my readers for their continued support by giving away two copies of Field Guide to Candy. Just tell me your favorite candy in the comments below, and I will randomly pick two winners at the end of Sunday, October 11. Good luck and happy candy-making!

Congrats on your second book Anita. No mean feat & an excellent one. My fave candy is the English toffee that the nuns used to sell in the tuck shop in school! Good luck to you for the release & book signings. Wish I lived in the US!!

I have so many recipes tagged in Field Guide to Cookies that I haven’t been able to try them all yet. I have only taken baby steps with candy making. I really look forward to the tips and techniques which you’ll be providing in Field Guide to Candy. And there will be time to play with it and (hopefully) learn enough by Christmas to make candy good enough for gifts! I would love to win a copy. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. My favorite candy is any kind of chocolate-covered nuts.

Even more than cookies, I am really a candy freak, to be honest! I’m excited about your cookbook!!

I used to love Goetze Caramel Creams but I’ve been avoiding most things made with corn syrup so I haven’t eaten them much – ditto for Candy Corn and all things caramel. But I love them probably the most of all candy. Last weekend I made some caramel at home (with honey instead of CS) and it was great so I’ll probably try to recreate them now.

Here in Italy, I crave Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and chocolate with caramel or peanuts in it – here it’s mostly almonds and hazelnuts. And of course things made with marshmallows, which are not popular here, or are only the French colored versions which are definitely different from our plain white ones.

Oh my lovely goodness…. truly. I make toffee with dark chocolate and toasted almost slices. Its wonderful. My children’s teachers receive it for Christmas presents. They (the teachers) love my children. he he
So I would love to learn more about other candy making from you and your book. Please and thank you for this opportunity to receive your gift.
AmyRuth

Oh, congrats and I am thrilled for you!! You are the field guide queen-I love this style of books-keep up the great work. My fave candies are pb cups and toffees, but there are soo darn many more, thanks for the chance to win a copy of this exciting new book!

My favorite candy….hmmm. Do I really have to choose JUST one? I *heart* ALL candy but I do go though spurts where I will crave one specific kind – right now it’s peanut butter cups. However with the holiday season coming, that will change – I do so love those candy canes!

I’ve been following your blog for more than two years now and I regret never having commented before.
Congrats on the second book, your phtotos are amazing! And so are your recipes.
My favorite candy has got to be fudge or anything chocolately.

I honestly don’t think toffee (preferably with almonds and coated with chocolate) can beat. I also like nougat with almonds. But I am completely delighted to see that daifuku mochi is in your candy book; when I saw that, I knew I *had* to find this book. Congratulations! 🙂

Anita, congratulations on your second book!! I hope to see you at my favorite store on earth, Omnivore.
My favorite candy is the dark chocolate covered bordeaux from See’s Candies. It’s brown sugar buttercream center covered with tiny real chocolate sprinkles.http://www.sees.com/prod.cfm/Milk_Chocolates/Milk_Chocolate_Bordeaux
Also, are those lovely pastel pillows in the silver dish in the photo on top of the post marhsmallows? Or another type of candy? I assume the recipe is in the book. 🙂

My favourite candy… i really like those chinese peanut candy, traditional and yet wholesome. Whole roasted peanuts covered with sugar syrup and coated with toasted sesame seeds… with each bite and chew, the peanuts just burst with peanuty flavour… simple but yet nice.

Congratulations! I love your first book “Field Guide to Cookies”! Hope I can win this one, but will buy it even if not. Favorite candy? Hmmmm, that’s a hard one since I LOVE candy- but I will go with twizzlers red licorice- simple but divine!

Anita.. Congratulations on the book!! :)) Candy is an interesting subject.. Will look out for the book at my store (but I hope I win one from you 🙂 ).. Anyway my favorite candy is “Almond Joy”. My grand aunt used to bring it for me during her annual visits when I lived in India and the love still holds 🙂

Congratulations & Kudos to you for both books published. It’s a great achievement and don’t forget to give yourself a big PAT on your back!

My favourite candy brings back memories to Chinese New Year candies which I had not have in many, many years. It’s pillow shape (rectangular with the ends kinda tucked in like ‘inverted c’ at both ends. It is not overly sweet, crunchy on the outside and yummy melty inside with a taste of peanut butter…Oh,if only I know how to make these. By the way, I think it was covered with a piece of rice paper too, then the wrapper. I always let the rice paper melt on my tongue first before eating that yummy candy. It truly brings back sweet memories!

Cheers and goodluck on your book release party, Oct 17 2009 – A Great Day to Remember for you!

Congrats on the new book! I can’t wait to pick up a copy of it. My favorite cheap candy would have to be Almond Joys or the old school Bit O’ Honey. For something fancier I love an exotic flavored truffle. Yum!

My favorite candies are dark chocolate vanilla creams. There is a local candy company here in Ohio called Ben Heggy Chocolates and their candy is awesome!! I dream about their dark chocolate candies and also their caramels. They are heavenly! Congratulations on your book. I would love to learn how to make candy.

Trying to pick ONE favorite candy is a difficult task but since moving to Kentucky, I would have to say bourbon balls. Nothing like the cookie crumb rum balls I grew up with but a boozy, creamy center enrobed in rich chocolate and topped with a pecan- yum!

When my mom was pregnant with me, she had a powerful craving for those orange circus peanuts, which otherwise repelled her. Sure enough, years later I rediscovered them and craved them too… although they’re really pretty gross.

My favourite candy is my grandma’s sesame brittle (chikki, in Hindi)that she made using cane sugar and all kinds of delicious spices. When I was a kid, I used to take them to school and told all my friends that I had a chikki tree from which I used to pluck off a few chikkis every morning ;). They all believed me! 🙂

Congratulations! Isn’t it wonderful when you can have so much fun and make a living too? My only other question is why there are never any book signings in Waxahachie, Texas? Of course, we don’t have a for real bookstore but hey, they’ll order it for you.

I just bought your book Field Guide to Candy. I was very impressed with how well you made the recipes so easy to follow. I had to check out your website. I work in sales and finance all day long. My escape and outlet is making desserts and dishes for others. Bringing a smile to people at the end of the day makes all the rest of the torment go away. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face. I don’t want the free book. I would rather buy it to show support. Thank you for your blog and talent!

I know this has been out now for a few years, but there aren’t words to describe how much this book ROCKS!!!! 🙂 Every recipe in it is golden, and I can’t get enough! Thank you so much for an amazing resource!! 🙂

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about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl